Les « coteaux rhodaniens » de Vienne à Tournon : essai de typologie géographique de l'aménagement

Abstract

An attentive geographical survey of the rather steep hills constituting the eastern facade of the French Central Massif from Vienne to Tournon overhanging the corridor valley of the Rhône tends to show that slope steepness is essentially due to the tectonic interplay and to the deepness of the hydrographie network of the Rhone's right bank. The frequent use of terraced parcels which nowadays have been more or less abandoned is accounted for by the steepness of the hillsides. Hence the aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive morpho-anthropic classification of the hills comprising hillsides and precipitous gorges which were never worked upon, terraced hillsides either halfcultivated or completely cultivated, hillsides being urbanized or progressively destroyed (quarries, motorways cutlings). Thus it is suggested that an effort should be made to preserve these terraced hillsides for this country-side, resulting from past toil, constitutes a valuable element of our regional and national patrimony.